


Heart to Heart

by NonstopDoodle



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Beware the man who speaks in hands for he'll send you on a Fetch Quest, Other, Sans knows your secrets, Self-Insert, Slow Burn, but with plot, reader identifies as female, science stuff happens
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-18
Updated: 2016-03-21
Packaged: 2018-05-07 09:53:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,690
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5452430
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NonstopDoodle/pseuds/NonstopDoodle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>You've been secretly exploring the underground beneath Mt Ebott ever since the monsters returned to the surface.<br/>You want to find something, anything, that will help you prove to the world, and to yourself, that you're not a nobody.<br/>You know what you want, but what you find was something else entirely, something that would change your life forever.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've been reading a few Mettaton/Reader fics, and I decided to do one. However, rather than just a quick one-shot, this'll be story driven, and imma write it to the very best of my ability!

No matter how quietly you walked, your footsteps echoed throughout the stone hallways. You’d been through these rooms before, many times in fact, but you still felt cautious, hyper aware of just how alone you were as you weaved your way in between looming pillars. The large flashlight held in your hand lit the way ahead of you, but it was still a pitiful glow in the near-omnipresent dark. The occasional gleam to your right hinted at the few remaining stained glass windows. You’d explored these windows on your first visit here, trying to figure out the point of windows in the underground, wondering if monsterkind had light sources behind them.

But you weren’t here for the windows, you reminded yourself as you strode out of the building and headed down the empty streets, damaged and abandoned buildings and homes sliding in and out of view.

Ever since monsters had joined humanity on the surface, everyone was curious about Mr. Ebbot, the legend of the Ancient War, and what was left underground. All the monsters, or at least the ones you knew, had no intention of going back under the mountain, and the government had closed off Mt Ebbot, keeping out any would-be adventurers. But that didn’t stop you. For once, you didn’t care about the rules. The mountain seemed to call out to you, or perhaps it was your own inner voice, screaming for you to get away from this mundane life you were living,

_‘Left. Left. Right. Down past the roundabout. Right again. Left onto the great street.’_ You thought to yourself, skirting around boulders and debris. Most people would’ve found it difficult to remember the quickest way through the huge city. But you were smart, and always careful. The darkness surrounding you was always a reminder that if you slipped up, you’d be forever lost down here…

You lifted your head as you heard what sounded like an eerie moaning coming from the far end of the path. The whistling wind passing through the empty elevator shaft sent a shiver down your spine, but you swallowed back the fear. Lowering the flashlight, you inspected the knots of the rope ladder you had made. Since the magic that powered these elevators had been cut off, the compartments had fallen to the very bottom. Some of the shafts you had explored didn’t even go downwards! Some branched off to the side, or even diagonally.

Magic; that was one reason why you were here. The new professor at your college was a monster, and a scientist at that. She taught the new principles of energy, of how magic and electricity could be combined in a multitude of ways. And you wanted to see that, you remembered as you steadily climbed downwards. Science, engineering, inventing, that was where you shone, the one thing you were good at. If…no, _once_ you figured out how magic worked, everything would get better. No one would ever ignore you again, or laugh about you behind your back.

_‘I won’t be the “freaky science shut-in’ anymore.’_

Stone changed to metal, the dull clanking rebounding off of metallic walls. You shook your head, pushing away the sadness and loneliness. You could deal with all of that crap later at home, but you had to focus now. You’d only been here once, and not for very long. With one hand against the wall, you kept moving forward. At the end of the hallway, a dusty, dilapidated sign hung above the entryway. Squinting, you trie to make out what it said.

“The Core.” You read aloud, your voice echoing almost as much as your footsteps. 

“The Core…was this a powerplant or something?” You asked under your breath as you moved toward the door. You stopped short when you realized that there was no door handle.

“No…don’t tell me this is automatic.” You groaned. Of course, there was no answer. Feeling frustrated, you tried to pull the door open yourself, slipping your fingertips into the crack down the middle. No such luck. The door was made of metal too, a cold and unyielding chrome. After a few vain pulls, you stood back, breathing hard and glaring. You didn’t have anything with you for this, and just when you thought you’d make headway today!

The anger quickly faded into rapid thought as you crossed your arms. Clearly, the doors would only work if they were supplied with enough power, and there was no way you would be strong enough to force it open, which meant…

You turned around and started to walk back up the hallway, running through different solutions and what you’d need to bring with you next time. Something to supply power to the door…a crowbar would definitely help…

Had you thought to turn around, you would’ve seen a pale, broken face suddenly appear from the darkness, watching your back with an expression that was almost…curious.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mostly world building before the adventures resume!  
> "____" stands for you, the reader's name, for interactive purposes. :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my goodness, I cannot believe the reception this story has gotten! Thank you all so much!  
> I'm sorry for the wait, but this chapter wasn't as...receptive to being written as the first chapter was.  
> BUT! I promise to make this all worth your while!

“Professor Alphys! Professor Alphys!”

Weaving through the crowded hallways of the community college, you struggled to catch up to the bright patch of yellow that belonged to your wayward teacher.

It had been over a week since you’d been underground, over a week of being blocked by that infuriating door. It had sat there, immovable and impossible, mocking you. You’d achieved nothing, and each day that had passed had nearly driven you insane! True, you could have spent this week exploring more of the ruined city, you thought to yourself as you squeezed pass two seniors with overstuffed backpacks. But what would you have possibly gained from that?! You were a scientist, an inventor! Not an archeologist. Ruins held nothing for you. Everything you needed was locked behind that door, the entrance to _The Core_.

But of course, the key to that door, the one person with all the answers, had left on vacation to Japan. 

Finally breaking free of the crowds, you ran after the retreating figure of Professor Alphys, her stubby yellow tail waving from side to side under her lab coat. You could have turned to any monster for information, but you couldn’t risk anyone finding out that you were investigating the underground. One reason Mt. Ebott was sealed off was out of respect for Monsterkind being trapped there for…who knew how long. But with Alphys, you knew what to do. You’d practiced, memorizing exactly what you'd wanted to say.

“Professor Alphys!”

Finally hearing you, Alphys jumped and turned around, hastily adjusting her glasses to keep them from falling off. Standing at around four feet tall, she wasn’t very imposing, and had a shy, somewhat timid personality. But once she was in her element, her insecurities fell away and her genius shone through. You had sat through each of her lectures, alert and hanging onto every word. Her knowledge and innovative way of thinking was beyond inspirational, and she was the most brilliant…woman? Lizard? Eh, person, that you ever knew!

“O-oh! Hello ______, um, h-how can I help you?” The bucktoothed smile she gave you was sincere, if a bit nervous. Very nervous.

“I wanted to ask you…a question about magical energy.” You said, a bit breathlessly. 

“O-oh, alright then! Um, c-can we talk on the way? They’re serving ramen today, and it’s my favorite, so…”

You nodded and fell into step beside her, catching your breath and trying to swallow back your excitement. 

“A few weeks ago you said in your lecture that magic in its simplest form was just another kind of energy, right?”

“Yes, that’s right.” Alphys nodded, the nervous smile fading away into a small frown. You could almost see the cogs turning in her mind as she began thinking. So far so good. You’d get exactly what you needed without anyone being any the wiser. You could already hear that door opening now—

“Although, magic without form was always volatile, not to mention very unstable, so we used electricity as our main power source instead. I mean, it was magically generated, but it was essentially the same thing, and it was much easier to deal with than−huh?”

Alphys stopped and looked around in confusion, spotting you about ten feet behind her where you had frozen.

“H-hey, is everything ok?”

“…you used…electricity?”

“Yes?”

“Not magic?”

“That’s right. While monsters can generate their own magic, it would’ve been very difficult to produce enough to sustain the underground, much less controlling it.”

“…”

“Um, a-are you alright? Your eye is…um, twitching.”

It took every ounce of will not to throw back your head and scream. Breathing hard through your nose, you managed to give Alphys a smile that was somewhat sane, and only partially succeeded.

“It’s fine. I’m fine. Everything is ffffine.” You sang through clenched teeth.

Alphys tilted her crested head, unconvinced, before shrugging and continuing down the hallway.

“…Alright then. A-anyway, what was your question?”

‘ _I might as well ask anyway. It could be useful._ ’ You thought, swallowing down your fury and rejoining Alphys on your journey to the cafeteria.

“Yes, well, I was actually wondering what magic’s electric equivalent would be, talking in terms of hypothetical measurement?” You asked, much more calmly as the two of you joined a slightly larger crowd hungry for lunch. 

Alphys blinked in surprise before smiling eagerly.

“Oh! That…that’s a really good question! You see, the old unit of measurement for magic was called Djinn, but nobody uses, …eh, used that anymore. We’d use the larger unit Fae for measuring magic.”

You gave her a look. “Djinn? As in the….Mon…ster?” You asked, tentatively. You didn’t want to be rude by calling it a ‘creature’ or anything like that, since apparently, djinn were real.

Alphys smiled again and nodded. “Yup! Djinn used to exist a very, very long time ago. According to the ancient records, Djinn generated the lowest amount of magic in the history of monsters. Wh-which is why they’re….ah…gone. A-anyway, it was decided to measure magic using 'Djinns', like how you measure distance using 'Meters'.”

Alphys’ eyes glazed over for a moment as she thought. “Nobody really knows who decided that. I feel like I should know who….hmrn.”

The monster fell silent as the two of you let the crowd carry you into the cafeteria, the smells of different kinds of food wafting through the air, rising above the chatter of over a hundred eager voices. While Alphys thought to herself, you tilted your head back, sniffing the air hopefully. It had…actually been a long time since you had eaten lunch here. You tried to think back to when that was. Was it the first few weeks of your first term? …Yes, that was it. A few short weeks before you started having your meals in the lab.

Being completely alone in a massive crowd was a pain you had quickly grown tired of.

“Ah, um…would you l-like to eat lunch with…with me?” Alphys’ timid voice suddenly pulled you back to the present. Startled, you looked down at her in surprise. The monster was rubbing behind her scaled crest, cautiously looking up at you through her glasses.

“I mean, I…uh…h-haven’t fully answered your question, and there could be a lot to dis-discuss…hypothetically I mean. L-like you said…? She trailed off, her voice an adorable mixture of hope and worry. It was only a few seconds of silence before you smiled, nodding emphatically.

“Yeah, I’d love to, if you’ll have me?”

Smiling with both delight and relief, Alphys led the way through the multiple food kiosks before heading to an empty table. Lunch was…fun, which really did surprise you. Time had just raced by as you’d eaten with Alphys, talking about magical energy, theories and mechanics, and then, oddly enough, her vacation to Japan. And then anime. Quite a bit of anime. You couldn’t remember the last time you’d had such a domestic conversation. It had just…happened;it felt so natural. Alphys was so easy to talk to, and you found yourself thanking your lucky stars that she was your teacher. She was almost like a friend.

But eventually, it was time to go. Throwing away your trash, the two of you walked to the cafeteria entrance, exchanging small talk along the way. But before you parted ways, Alphys stopped and shot you a searching look.

“I’m glad to see that y-you’ve been doing that extra homework I gave you.” She said with a knowing smile.

You stop, staring down at her with wide eyes. At that moment, your mind jumped back to that moment, over a month and a half ago.

Your performance in class and at regional Science Fairs had earned you enough credibility and recognition to have one of the College labs for personal use. They were spacious, yet organized, and was well supplied with some of the latest pieces of engineering technology. It was heaven, a personal paradise, and you never wanted to leave. 

The truth of the matter was, you really hadn’t.

_“Uh, um, _____, I need to a-ask you a question.”_

You had looked up from your workbench, eying your teacher curiously.

_“Uh, yeah. What is it?”_

_“W-well, um, do you ever leave the…leave the lab?”_

You’d looked at her, slightly confused, before answering.

_“Well, aside from classes, I don’t. I mean, I have plenty here to keep me busy. I’ve even moved in from the student dorms!”_

You had pointed up to the loft area, where your bed was placed, along with a few shelves, a table, and a cabinet. Alphys had looked at you, slightly horrified.

_“S-so, you don’t leave? Ever?!”_

_“Well…no. There’s nothing for me out there! Everything I need is right he−“_

_“No!”_ Alphys had interrupted, unusually fierce. You had jumped, staring at her as she had drawn herself up to her full, under 5 foot height, giving you a glare that was uncharacteristically stern.

_“Speaking as your professor, I forbid you from l-locking yourself up in here. A-as of right now, I’m assigning you homework. I want you…I’m o-ORDERING you to go outside and…and do things! Anything! Everyday! If you don’t, and I’ll…I’ll know if you don’t, I’ll permanently drop you a full letter grade!”_

_“What?!”_ You had shrieked, jumping up and staring down at her in horror. All of your hopes and dreams rode on perfect ‘A’ grades! She couldn’t do this to you!

_“Y-you heard me ____! Your new assignment starts tomorrow!”_

Alphys had refused to back down on the subject and you had sat, seething with anger and frustration, when the looming silhouette of Mt Ebott caught your eye from the other side of the window. An idea had formed then, a stupid, crazy idea that you'd instantly latched onto. If you were going to be partly banished from your own personal oasis, you were going to do something worth your while. That's what you had thought then, but now, you eyed your teacher carefully, trying to figure out what she meant. Did she know? Did she know what you’d been doing?!

“W-what?” You stammered, trying to stay calm.

Alphys smiled wider, reaching up and placing a clawed hand on your shoulder. “You’ve been going outside. I-I can tell. I want you to…to know that when I gave you that assignment, I did for a r-reason. It isn’t a good thing to l-lock yourself up, I…I know from experience.”

Her smile was tinged with sadness, but was still wide and caring. “So, I’m glad.”

The sudden frantic beeping of the monster’s cell phone made you both jump, and Alphys scrambled for her pocket, apologizing all the while. You didn’t mind, as you suddenly had a large lump in your throat. You barely heard her explanation of someone…undying before she was pattering away up the hall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alphys is going to be playing a pretty important role in this fic.  
> I just wanna hug her!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will you be able to explore more, and...should you?  
> And just how much does HE know about this?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ....welp, why not. Let's bring in the big guy a chapter early, shall we?  
>  Heh.

Well.

It wasn’t your prettiest work, but when it came to science and ingenuity, looks weren’t a top priority. That’s what you kept telling yourself as you stared down at the twisted mess that was your “solution”.

After the talk you had with Professor Alphys two days ago, you’d gone hunting through the neighboring town, looking for the largest hardware store you could find. Luck was on your side with the discovery of Edvard’s Everything Emporium, a store that was packed floor-to-ceiling with…well, everything! It was a treasure trove of resources that certainly lived up to its name! What was even better was the large, mustachioed man working there, possibly Edvard himself, who rang up the crowbar and the two car batteries you were buying without comment. And then hardly batting an eye when you came back to buy one more. And a spotlight. And jumper cables.

So now, here you were, proudly looking down at the twisted maelstrom of wires and cables that connected three car batteries to the exposed wiring of the wall. That was where the crowbar had come in, and it had been a literal pain trying to work a panel free from the wall. After nearly an hour, the panel had finally slid off, clanging onto the floor, but you’d run out of time and had to return home with angry red welts on your palms. In order to avoid suspicion, you had to time yourself here, to make sure you had enough time to get back to campus before curfew, before anyone noticed you were missing. But now, the pain had been worth it as slowly, so very slowly, the door slid open. Dust swirled through the darkened air as the thick metal doors ground against their inner workings. You waited in eager delight as you watched your shadow stretch into the room beyond, your slim figure distorted from the bright spotlight behind you.

Finally!

Stopping only to grab your backpack, you ran inside, heart pumping with excitement! Yes! Yes! This was it! You were finally inside—

…

A room. It was just a room. An empty room.

You couldn’t stop the wave of disappointment that washed through you, nearly crushing the joy you’d been feeling not 5 seconds ago.

It was a very large room, circular in design with a high ceiling. A very, very…  
You looked up, and found that you couldn’t actually see the ceiling. Even with your flashlight, equipped with fresh new batteries, all you could make out were shadows. Leaning back as far as you could, you cupped one of your hands around your mouth and shouted.

_“Helllooooooooo!”_

Your voice echoed eerily over and over, bouncing off of unseen walls into oblivion. It felt like ages before you couldn’t hear the echo anymore, the room suddenly feeling a lot more constricted than it had a minute ago as you did some quick mental math.

That was a very…high ceiling.

You whistled under your breath, slightly awestruck as it began to sink in that you were underground. More specifically, under a mountain. Just how deep did the underground go, where you could get away with something like this?!

Suddenly, something flickered out of the corner of your eye and you quickly turned your head. An open doorway led further into the core and you stared at it for a few seconds, confused, before turning off the flashlight. It took a moment, but you saw it as your eyes adjusted to the lowlight.

Yes, there it was. Beyond the door, you could just barely make out a pale, whitish glow. You’d taken one step towards it when your watch abruptly started beeping. Feeling frustrated, you glared at the numbers on the watch face. _To keep it all a secret, so nobody notices you're gone..._

 _‘Then again, nobody would actually care, would they?!’_ You thought to yourself, bitterly, crossing your arms. An image Professor Alphys suddenly flashed in your mind, and you bit your lip, again feeling a slight lump rise in your throat. You had gotten closer to her after lunch with her that day, and it was…nice to have someone to talk to. You sighed, the bitterness slipping away, being replaced by resignation. It was so very tempting to just keep going and ignore the rules you’d set out for yourself, but you made yourself turn back, unplugging the light and batteries as you went.

Mercifully, the door stayed open.

And empty eye sockets watched you go, curiosity growing.  
********************

Sneaking off of Mt Ebott was always pretty easy. The peak of the mountain had been sealed off, with most of the security surrounding the open passage where the barrier once stood. Tall chain-link fences with barbwire, motion sensors, cameras, and government patrols worked as the new barrier, with the ironic twist of keeping people out, rather than trapping them in.

But as daunting as it sounded, this barrier was new, and made pretty quickly. It had holes. Moving away from the main entrance, there was a side passage about 400 feet to the left that led right down to the underground. And just before that, a poorly connected section of fence hidden inside dense foliage. Nettles and thick clumps of thorn bushes surrounded it, but that hadn’t stopped you. Sure, at first you’d come home with more than a few scratches and a ruined shirt. But at this point, you were an expert at squeezing through the hole you'd made in the fence, and weaving your way through the tangled thorns. Then, it was only a short detour through the forest before you reconnected to the main hiking trail of the mountain. All in all, it was easy.

Lugging the batteries and lights up the mountain…that was another story.

You stretched your arms as you waited for the bus that would take you back into town, thinking about The Core. It was definitely the place that had generated power for the underground, but now that you’d gotten a small change in perspective, you weren’t so sure about fully exploring it. How deep did it really go? Hundreds of monsters had come to the surface, and since the legend itself was true, Monsterkind had been trapped down there for…several millennia? There was no way you’d be able to secretly search through it all!

You sighed as the bus pulled up, the old motor sputtering as it forced its clunky, metal body up the steep hill. After showing your bus pass, you chose an open window seat, watching the trees fly.

If you were being honest with yourself, you didn’t even know what you were looking for. Just what discovery were you planning to find down there? Something amazing the monsters would just…leave behind? Some piece of magical technology you could reinvent to revolutionize the world?

_An actual reason to be here?_

You could feel your earlier joy ebbing away as a familiar sadness over took you. That’s most likely what is was, searching for a reason, finding validation for your time spent here when the awards and competitions just…weren’t enough. There wasn’t anyone you could fully connect to when you’d first arrived, and you hadn’t bothered to make friends. Your research, your inventions, your successes had come first, and in the beginning, you were fine with that. But when the drive for recognition had faded, you’d realized just how lonely you really were. Yet, it was too late at that point, as everyone around you knew you as the “anti-social science shut-in, the workaholic, the freak mad scientist with no friends.”

And home wasn’t any better.

With a hiss and the screech of overused tires, the bus came to a halt at the public bus stop closest to campus. Your backpack hanging heavily on your shoulders, you stepped off the bus and began trudging your way back to the lab. Thoughts of home and the hopeless loneliness you felt turned the world around you into a gray, meaningless blur. You were so out of it that you didn’t notice anyone near you until a hand suddenly grabbed the back of your shirt, yanking you to a halt.

“Bwahh!”

“Sorry kid, hope you don’t think I’m a _jerk_ but I figured you would’ve needed my help.”

You looked behind you, coming face to face with a…skull with a very wide smile. Blinking rapidly, you glanced around and realized that you’d nearly walked into the metal doorframe of the Sciences Building. Flushing, you glanced back at your savior.

“Um, thank you.”

He—the voice was unmistakably male—was a monster, a skeleton with bright pinpricks in his eye sockets. Dressed in a casual shirt, jacket, and shorts, he only stood about chest height, stocky and…wearing slippers. At first glance, he’d be mistaken for a child, but the deep baritone of his voice quickly showed off his age.  
The grin didn’t change as the monster shrugged. “It’s my pleasure kid. Now…”

He shuffled around you and held open the door. “After you, since I’m pretty sure we’re both _heading_ in the same direction.”

You couldn’t stop the chuckle at that one, and his grin widened. Murmuring another ‘thank you’, you slid past him and the two of you walked down the empty halls.

“So…” he started, peeking up at you from the corner of his eye. “As _a-door-able_ as that was, any reason for spacing out?”

Reluctantly fighting back a smile, you shrugged. “No real reason.”

He nodded sagely and didn’t say anything more. You felt a rush of gratitude to him for that. You were already socially awkward, and answering questions in your current mood was just something you couldn’t do. And yet, this monster created such a laid-back atmosphere, you couldn’t help but relax.

“I’m ______.” You said, a bit shyly.

He looked up at you again, and his grin mellowed out into a simple smile. “The name’s Sans. Nice to meet ya kid. By the way—,” He stopped walking, hands stuffed into the pockets of his jacket. “Do you know where Alphys’ office is, ‘cause I don’t have a clue where I'm going.”

Stopping as well, you raised an eyebrow. “Then why are you leading the way? Didn’t you look at the map in the foyer?”

Sans shrugged, giving out a yawn that you couldn’t tell was fake or not. “Too much effort.”

“Well, it’s down over here. Lucky for you, it’s on the way to where I’m going,”

You’d pointed father down the hallway before talking the lead. Sans kept smiling as he fell into step behind you, slippers scuffing against the tiled floor.

“Heh, called it.”

Well, he wasn’t wrong about that, you thought to yourself as the two of you spent the next five minutes walking in a comfortable silence.

“You know Alphys?” You asked when you’d almost arrived at the faculty offices.

“Yeah, me and Alphys are good pals. We go back.” Sans shrugged again, still grinning away. “I’m here to pick her up for another friend of mine.”

“Oh.” Was all you said.

Finally, the two of you stopped at the entrance of a smaller hall filled with doorways. “Ok, so Alphys’ office is the fourth one on the left.” You pointed to the door in question and Sans nodded before eyeing you again.

“Got it, and thanks for showing me around. Maybe we’ll _bump_ into each other again.” He held out a bony hand for you to shake. Feeling like this was the most social interaction you'd had in months, aside from Professor Alphys, you allowed yourself to grin at the pun before shaking his hand.

You jerked when you felt a tingling shock run up your arm. Sans laughed out loud and revealed the joy buzzer hidden on his palm.

“Don’t act so _shocked_ kid,” he said, winking. “That’s a classic.”

Still chuckling, he headed for the office.

“I’m getting you back for that!” You called after him, feeling miffed. All he did was laugh in response. Rolling your eyes, you started making your way to the lab. It’d been a long day and bed was calling you.

“Hey, ______!” Sans suddenly called out, and you turned around.

Sans’ smile had changed. It seemed cheeky, but there was something unnatural about it. His eyes seemed deeper, and you could barely see those bright dots of light anymore. The relaxed atmosphere was gone, replaced by something deeper, darker.

“Be careful out there kid. You never know what you might find.”

A chill ran down your spine at his words and you almost wanted to run, but you couldn’t look away from the intensity of his stare. In the silence that stretched between you, tension grew and thickened until you could almost feel it pressing down on you with a kind of dark urgency. A bead of sweat slid down your forehead, and you struggled to breathe…

“Welp, night kid.” Sans waved and continued down the hall, the tension snapping like a piano wire. You let out a shuddering gasp, goose bumps rising over your skin. Feeling more than a little disturbed, you shakily made your way to the lab, knowing that sleep was not going to come easy tonight.

********************  
( _2 Hours Later )_

“Sans…” you whispered to yourself, staring up at the ceiling decorated with glowing stars, “What was all of that about?!”

Rolling over in bed, you let your eyes slid shut.

…

…

…

…

“OH MY GOSH HE’S A COMIC SANS!” You shrieked, bolting upright, and you swear you could hear him chuckling in the darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gotta have humor! This chapter got a more angsty than I meant it to be, but I swear, Indiana Jones levels of escapades will be in the next chapter.  
> If you remember, that circular room is where you fight Mettaton one last time, and since that room goes rocketing upwards in the pacifist route, I felt the need to include that. ^^ And my goodness Sans is so much fun to write! PUNS!  
> Also, forgive me, but the 2nd season of Akagami no Shirayuki-hime is starting this week, so I'm going to be a bit distracted. ^^'


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Into the dark someone calls, and now is the perfect time for you to answer.  
> Now is also time to remember that advice to be careful...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OH MY GOSH I AM SO SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG! The laptop died, and I couldn't figure out how to start things, and tons of life got in the way, but I know where we're going with this story now so here we go! Thank you all so much for the support of this fic! TT_TT
> 
> Also, now seems like a good time to mention that I'm retconning bits of the Pacifist Ending, specifically the fight between Frisk and the God of Hyperdeath, and why a certain character isn't on the surface. Rather than Frisk and Hyperdeath fighting in their own little space of nothingness, they fight in the Underground, which is why buildings and such are so damaged. 
> 
> Anyway, enjoy the chapter everyone!  
> (Into the Dark by Amarante was a great companion for this chapter. Search them up on Soundcloud, they're amazing!)

“YOU’RE NOT DOING IT RIGHT! MOP HARDER! **HARDER**!"

The bellow echoed throughout the Sciences Building, and you practically fell out of bed in a panic. Your heart pounding in terror, you looked all around you, half expecting a lion to leap out of the shadows. You barely had three seconds to figure out what was going on before—

“YOU’RE NOT PUTTING IN ENOUGH PASSION! DO IT. LIKE. _**THIS**_!!”

This time, you could tell it was a voice. A very loud, terrifying—female?—voice, followed by pounding footsteps and you swear you could feel the ground shaking. It felt like an earthquake, and the panic intensified. You hastily scramble to your feet and dash down the stairs with the full intention of evacuating the building.

“ _ **NNNNG-HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA**_!”

You’d opened the lab door just in time to hear, and feel, the roar as something tall and blue thundered past at a ridiculous speed. It felt like a semi had just driven in front of you, and you nearly fell over. Clutching the doorframe, you stared down the hall in shock, and then looked down at the floor.

The usually grimy tiles were sparkling clean. Literally. The entire floor was spotless, except for the strands of string that once belonged to a mop, sadly floating to the ground.

“What…just happened?” You asked out loud, voice slightly hoarse.

You tilted your head when you heard faint shouting from the other end of the building.

_“U-Undye! You c-can give it b..back now! Please!”_

_“NOW LET’S DO THIS! SHOW ME WHAT YOU’VE GOT!”_

_“Undyne no!”_

_“UNDYNE YES!”_

That was Professor Alphys, sounding a little more frantic than normal. You couldn’t blame her though. Whoever that voice belonged to, Undyne, clearly wasn’t someone to mess with. With that dark thought, you closed the door. Now that it was obvious that you weren’t going to die, you glanced up at the clock.

4:47

You groaned, burying your face in your hands and rubbing your eyes. You’d barely gotten enough sleep last night, worrying over that cryptic warning from Sans. Tossing and turning, trying to figure out what he meant, and how much he knew.

You shook your head, glaring at the clock. The only people who’d be up at this godforsaken hour were a few of the faculty, and janitorial. And now, you. You knew there was no way you were going back to sleep. Adrenaline was still pumping through your system, and you had classes at 7 anyway. The mid-term exams were coming up, and you wanted to be ready for anything. You wanted…to…

No. No. You did. This wasn’t the time to start doubting things again, you told yourself firmly, marching back up the loft stairs to change. Stripping off the overlarge nightshirt you wore, you started rummaging in the dresser, pulling on a star patterned t-shirt and looking for that one sweater that you liked. It was normally…ah! Smiling, you pulled out a navy turtleneck, but froze when something caught your eye.

It was a large shard of amber glass, jagged, but beautiful. You’d brought it back after your very first excursion underground. One of the large stained windows had been smashed, pieces of glass scattered everywhere. It was such a sad thing, to see something that was once so lovely broken like that. But when you’d shined a flashlight through one of the shards, you’d seen a golden glow that reminded you of a sunset. There were small sparkles that had flashed and danced in the light, like dust.

You’d taken that shard back with you, holding it like a priceless treasure.

And now, sitting innocently on your dresser, it gleamed, and you could almost hear the mountain calling you, the underground waiting to be explored—

You firmly shut the dresser and turn away, pulling on the sweater.

Now was not the time.

********************

Fighting back a yawn, you shuffle towards the cafeteria, the heavy scent of coffee pulling you forward. Dawn had broken when you’d left the lab, but it still felt like the middle of the night for you. You had hesitated at first. You hadn’t gone in there on your own in a very long time. Early as it was, other people were bound to be there too. A part of your mind had argued, saying it was a bad idea, saying that nothing good would come of it. But you hadn’t listened to it. Breakfast was what you needed. And anybody else would be too tired or jaded to pay any attention to you.

“Coffee…” you mumble under your breath, rubbing your eyes again as you walked into the cafeteria. Most of the stands were closed, but a breakfast of sorts was available in the corner for anyone mad enough to willingly be awake.

You heard voices, and turned to see a group of students huddled at one table. They had noticed you too and they lowered their voices, glancing at you now and then. You felt your chest tighten, and you willed yourself to ignore them, focusing on getting a cup of coffee. You recognized one of them, a light haired boy with a tilted red cap. You didn’t remember his name, but you still had memories, and those memories weren’t good.

“So that’s her?” A girl whispered, too loudly.

“Yeah! I can’t believe it! The Lab Rat is actually out of its cage!”

You could hear every word as you sat down with your back to them. Lab Rat. Well, that was a new one.

“Lab Rat? What?”

“Dude, she like, never leaves the Sciences Building, and no one sees her outside of class! I heard that she actually moved in there—“

“She lives in there? In the lab?!”

Your teeth had started to clench, and you forced yourself to take a drink.

“Ew! That is so creepy! What does she even do?”

“Who knows? Mad science? Freak experiments?”

The Redcap answered with a spooky voice, and the group laughed. Your hands were starting to shake.

“How’d she even get an entire lab all to herself anyway?!

“I heard her Dad bribed the Dean or something.”

Your breath hitched, and it felt like ice was sinking through your chest. Every word they said pounded into you, stabbing you right through the heart.

“Typical. Rich kids get everything, and then act like it’s no big deal! If she’s such a big-shot, why is she even here?”

“Maybe her parents sent her here as a punishment or something.”

“Nah, I bet they just dumped here. She never left after last semester! Probably knows she isn’t wanted.”

_Slam!_

You were standing, your palms stinging with pain as they lay flat on the table. The group jerked in surprise and fell silent, staring at your quivering back. There was a painful silence as they stared at you. That silence broke when Redcap called over with a sneer in his voice.

“Aww, what? Did I hurt your feelings Lab Rat?”

You ran, their jeering laughter following you out from the cafeteria, ringing in your ears. You ran, the world blurring from the tears filling your eyes. You ran, never hearing the worried voice of Professor Alphys as you passed her. You ran, to the only place you could go, the only place that felt like home to you.

When the code lock finally let you in, you slammed the door and slumped to the ground, clutching your head, your fingers digging painfully into your scalp. Desperately fighting against the pain, you would not cry, you would not cry, _you would not cry_ −!

 _What did you expect?_ A voice in your mind asked, coldly. _Did you really think you could go out there? There’s nothing for you out there. No one cares. You should have stayed in here like you were supposed to, but you didn’t, and now look!_

You shook your head, breathing uneven. What made the pain so much worse was that they were right. There was no real home to go back to. There was no place where you belonged. No one who wanted you, or needed you.

_Just like Dad._

Suddenly, the pain changed to fury, and you shoved yourself off the ground. You nearly ran across the lab and took the loft stairs two at a time. With a swift jerk, you grabbed your backpack and dumped out its contents onto your bed. Then you began to grab anything useful and feverishly stuff it into the bag. Flashlight, pocketknife, batteries, twine, gloves. A wild energy was coursing through you as you pounded down the stairs to grab more things from the lab.

In went duct tape, a screwdriver, pliers, rope, even more rope, a hammer, wire.

“Screw it.” You hissed through clenched teeth, angrily brushing away the last remaining tears.

“Screw it all!” You shouted, throwing open the door and storming away.

You didn’t care anymore! You didn’t care about skipping classes! You didn’t care about the lab! You didn’t care about whatever pointless goal you once set for yourself! You didn’t care about the stares, the whispers, or the looks as you left campus, shoving people out of your way. If they wanted you to leave, then fine! You’d leave! You were going to leave for the place only you could go. You were going to Mt Ebott, you were going to the underground, and you were going to rub it in their faces when you returned covered in glory!

Anger was all you felt, and you held onto it during the long bus ride up the side of Mt Ebott.

********************

It was very quiet in the underground, a heavy, muted silence that would sink right through you, weighing down your bones. Somber and isolated like space, there were times when it felt like the silence had it’s own presence. You normally liked the silence, but once your anger had cooled after entering the Underground, the silence felt different. It pressed down on you, hovering just behind you, accusing you of running away to a place you were _not_ supposed to be. You almost sighed in relief when you reached the elevator shafts, the creepy wailing of the air almost music to your ears.

You tried to focus, to shove everything to the back of your mind and distract yourself with the fantasy of amazing discoveries. It wasn’t until you reached The Core that a spike of excitement flared up inside you.

For better of for worse, today was the day you’d really begin to explore.

You flicked off the flashlight, letting the pale white glow lead you down the dim hallway. Halfway down the corridor, a wave of heat slammed into you. You gasped as you instantly broke out into a sweat. It was a huge mistake to wear the sweater. You were about to take it off when the scent hit you, something like sulfur, smoke, and some other smell, chemical and sharp. It stung your nose. The glow grew brighter the closer you came to the exit, until…

Huge was an understatement. Enormous didn’t even come close. Gigantic didn’t do it justice.

Before you, the floor fell away beneath a bridge of tiles. Below you was….nothing. The metallic chasm went down, down, down−you almost couldn’t see the bottom! Everything was illuminated by a brilliant white light, shining from what looked like a pool of liquid so very far down…oh.

_Oh._

Feeling dizzy, you shakily fell to your knees, staring in disbelief at The Core. This wasn’t a power plant. This was a reactor.

You were inside a reactor.

And it wasn’t silent either.

The walls, the ceiling, everything seemed to tremble in shuddering groans, the sounds bouncing across the metal interior. The noise was terrifying. The way the walls creaked and groaned…it sounded like a giant, ancient beast, tired and moaning in pain before it reached the end. The heat, the sounds, and the very dangerous light all told you one thing.

You did _not_ want to be here.

“This is insane!” You breathed, eyes wide and heart pounding. “This is so…insane. It’s a reactor! I’m in it! How? How?! How did they−?!”

Movement flashed in the corner of your eye, and you looked up just in time to see something black flit out of sight from the open doorway. You blink, distracted from the overwhelming danger of….everything, as two things occurred to you.

One: You were not alone.

Two: You had the sudden impression that whatever that was, wanted you to follow them.

To the doorway. Across from you. On the other side of the bridge above a pit of death that was most likely siphoning off years of your life by the second.

“Bad idea! Bad idea ______!” You chanted to yourself, panic coming back in full force. You’d seen enough movies to know that following some mysterious being in a place like this was a brilliant way to get yourself killed. You shook your head violently, willing yourself to stand up. It was time to leave, this wasn’t worth it…

The flickering came again, and then the feeling returned, stronger this time. It felt like it tapped gently, but firmly, against your mind. You needed to follow it. You needed to follow it right now, and it would not hesitate in being more insistent if you didn’t follow it _right now_ −!

“Ok! Ok!” You yelled, jumping to your feet. The heat wafting up from The Core had you drenched in sweat at this point, and yet a chill shot down your spine as you looked across the bridge.

 _‘Just walk across. It’s no big deal, just go. And do NOT look down!’_ You thought to yourself, taking in a deep breath, clenching your fists. You took five steps forward, and, naturally, you looked down.

Then, you wisely decided to cross the rest of the bridge at a dead sprint.

You’d barely passed through the doorway before you saw the flickering again to your left, vanishing the moment you looked. You chased after it, your heart pounding in your ears like a drum, your footsteps echoing around you as you ran. Deeper and deeper into The Core you went, twisting through a labyrinth of thin hallways and chambers. The Core’s latent power still lit the corridors with color, rich blues and flashing lights shining brightly around you, but failing to touch that flash of black that led you to the left, to the right, deeper and deeper. You’d barely noticed that you were doing down, barely noticed that it was getting hotter and hotter. All you could think of was the thought that reverberated inside your mind.

_Follow. Follow. Follow._

You stumbled to a halt when everything suddenly changed. Metal ceiling gave way to the near pitch black of the Underground. The air was dry, no longer smelling of chemicals. A much heavier heat had settled around you, sending a fresh wave of sweat over your skin. The light from The Core and a distant red glow illuminated the large building that loomed in front of you, an unlit sign with “ **MTT Res--** ” written in bold font above the building’s entrance. Other than some damage to the roof, the building was incredibly fancy, looking like it belonged on the Vegas strip than the Underground.

You didn’t have much time to dwell on the matter. Breathing hard, you pulled off your sweater and tied it around your waist. The urge was pushing against your mind even harder now, and you only just remembered to turn on your flashlight before moving forward, your backpack weighing heavily on your shoulders. It was too late to question it or wonder just what was leading you, and where you were going. All you did know was this was important, and you had to keep going no matter what. The dusty glass doors were unlocked and swung open into a….hotel? That’s what it looked like from the beam of your flashlight. Even inside, the heat curled around you like a thick blanket. A broken water fountain sat in the center of the lobby, some sort of square with arms leaning at a crooked angle.

And beyond that, a patch of black, darker than the surrounding darkness, calling you.

You ran forward, following the flicker outside the hotel, jumping down a set of carved steps and dashing down a passage to your left. You weren’t sure what you expected to find, but you did feel a bit surprised when you were confronted with another elevator shaft. The chamber was gone, and the cables had been snapped, but you’d come prepared for something like this, and you pulled out one of the cords of rope you’d taken from campus.

You were prepared, but you were still surprised at just how deep this shaft went. It took all three sets of rope you’d taken with you to barely reach the bottom, and you felt a small pang of fear when picked your way around the wreckage of what was left of the elevator chamber. You didn’t need a flashlight anymore, the gravel and rock around you lit up by a rosy red light. You knew what that light was, even as you walked over to look past the edge of the cliff you stood on.

Magma bubbled and hissed as it weaved it’s way through the earth. Once again, the realization of how deep you were underground hit you, and you quickly moved away from the edge.

“Make that a thermonuclear reactor then.” You muttered, trying to muscle past the shock. Wiping your forehead, you looked around. Asides from the rocky walls and the path before you, there was nothing. The black flicker was gone; the urge to follow had faded. Was this where you were supposed to be?

“I guess there’s only one way to find out.” You mutter, readjusting your backpack and trudging down the trail. You walked for a long while, looking around you now and again, gazing up at the towering rock walls, eyeing the molten rock. The heat was intense, and sweat had plastered your hair to the back of your neck, your shirt sticking to you in a wet tangle. Water would have been wonderful, but you didn’t have any with you. You felt drowsy, exhausted, and now you had plenty of room in your head to realize how stupid you were. Sadness and fatigue swirled together, weighing you down emotionally and draining you of what little energy you had left.

You were so out of it that you almost didn’t notice the building in front of you. **KITCHEN SET** , said a sign placed above the door, an **ON AIR** sign beside it, the letters dark and empty. Only mildly curious, you pushed the door open, mechanically pulling out your flashlight at the same time.

The sign didn’t lie; it really did look like a kitchen straight out of a cooking show. Your shoes clicked dully on the tilted floor and you turned in a circle, peering around at the fake windows, the cabled roof, the inactive cameras hanging from their perches, and the kitchen appliances.

You didn’t notice the hole until it was too late.

A tile broke away and you plunged down with a scream. Your flashlight half-fell, half-rolled down the hole as you desperately clawed at the edge, trying to hold on. Tile after tile came loose, bouncing past you, cutting your cheek, and you couldn’t get a grip, you were slipping, you were falling−!

A vine shot out of the darkness, wrapping tightly around your wrists and pulling you up into the air.

“Well howdy! You aren’t from around here, are you?”

With a gasp, you looked down and saw a large yellow flower staring up at you with a bright smile on its cute little face, sprouting up from a gap in the rotting tiles. It was adorable, but there was something about its eyes unnerved you. You didn’t know why, but they scared you.

“No, I’m…I’m from the surf-face.” You gasped. The vine’s grip was very tight, and you could feel your hands growing numb. The flower’s face seemed to twitch, like a tic, before it giggled.

“Well golly, you sure are far from home! Lucky for you I’m here!”

“Yes, thank you so mu−!”

“ _I can teach you how things work around here_!” The face in-between the golden petals had twisted into a demonic grin, the voice gurgling like a forgotten nightmare. Thorns suddenly stabbed into your skin, and you screamed in pain, thin rivers of blood running down your arms.

“ _There’s only one lesson. Kill or_ _**Be Killed**_!”

With a horrible laugh that you’d never be able to forget, the flower flung you into the hole. The last thing you saw was it’s horrible face, laughing, before something hard struck you in the head, and it all faded to black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...also, I'm sorry. ^^'


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Looks like you're not the only one who's lost...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit shorter than the last chapter, but....heheh.  
> Again, thank you so much for all the support! Heart to Heart just reached 100 kudos and I'm so happy!!  
> Enjoy!

When you woke, it felt like every inch of your body was throbbing with pain. Lying facedown on the gravel-strewn ground, you tried to raise your head. Hissing with pain, you became aware of something warm and sticky on the side of your face, and knew instantly that it was blood. Staying still, you checked on the rest of your body. You were cut, bloody, and bruised, but luckily nothing seemed to be broken; just very, _very_ sore. Gritting your teeth against the pain, you tried to rise once more and looked around. You needed to blink a few times before you could make sense of what you saw. It was much darker, wherever you’d ended up, but there was still a thin pillar of light flickering from where your flashlight had landed. Eyes moving upward, you winced at the sight of the hole you’d ‘fallen’ into. It was very steep, with large boulders jutting out of the hill, and it was a miracle you’d only been knocked out! One hit in the right place, and you would’ve been killed.

You looked down at your arms, taking in the scrapes and the little puncture holes the flower’s thorns had left.

“Perfect.” You bitterly muttered to yourself, carefully easing yourself into a sitting position. But that small stab of anger quickly faded into despair. That hill was so steep, impossibly steep. And you…you were hungry, you were hot, you were thirsty, you were tired, and you were in so much pain…you just couldn’t do it. You couldn’t do this. You were stuck. You were trapped down here, just like the monsters had been. You were never going to see the stars ever again…

“No! There has to be a way out! Monsters…lived down here. If they do it, y-you could too! I could too!” You said to yourself, your voice breaking as you fought to stay calm, only half believing the words.

You could hear rushing water nearby, and you shakily stood up, clutching the side that was most definitely bruised. You slowly shuffled over to your wayward flashlight before following the noise of water to a riverbank. Inky black water rushed by, following a path deeper into the earth. Sinking to your knees, you scooped up the water with both hands. It was ice cold, like fresh mountain run-off, and probably carried a-million-and-one different kinds of bacteria, but you didn’t care. Down here, it felt amazing and you drank as much as you could before trying to wash off some of the blood on your face and arms.

 _‘You’re not trapped. You’re not trapped. You’re not trapped.’_ You chanted steadily to yourself as you rummaged through your now very dusty backpack to see if you had any bandages with you. You were so lost in your own head that you didn’t notice anything watching you, rapidly approaching you through the water, until a loud, scraping thud made you jump and look up.

“…What?” You said in a deadpan voice.

There was…a boat. Parked in front of you. Now, that alone wouldn’t have been the most surreal thing you’d seen, except…that the boat had a head; a dog head, with a very dog-ish face, peering down at you. When you looked it in the…face, the boat backed away before spinning around, pointing itself upriver. It was shaped like a cross between a canoe and a gondola, and it sat there as if it was…

“I…what, do you want me to get in?” You asked it incredulously. . The dog head was cute, almost goofy, but after everything that had happened today, you were pretty wary. Well, no. You were downright suspicious, sore, scared, and angry, and it all just burst out of you.

“Listen Barkwood, I’m not sure if you knew this, but a flower just tried to kill me! A cute, talking flower! I’m lucky to be alive right now, and you expect me to just ride a boat to who knows where and−yes…yes you do, don’t you?” Your rant dissolved into a defeated mumble as the boat’s head swung around to look at you expectantly, tongue lolling out of its wooden mouth. Looking at the carved eyes for a few seconds, you heaved a sigh, forced yourself to stand, and climbed into the boat.

“Hey, I’ve already made two terrible decisions today, I might as well go for an even three!” Your voice was heavy with sarcasm as you made yourself comfortable, gingerly holding your backpack on your lap.

“Alright Barkwood, take me away.” And you knew deep down in your heart, that you would never, ever, forget the feeling of a wooden dog-boat, _running on water_.

_‘Just what exactly has happened to my life?!’_

While your mind was going through a slight mid-life crisis, the boat steadily traveled upriver, lightly skipping over the water and winding its way through the bends and curves of the riverbanks. Finally, it slowed and came to a stop next to a bank lined with cans, bags, and broken televisions. With a wooden creak, the head swung around to look at you, covering in your seat in a mix of shock and horror. Forcing yourself to release the death grip you had on the sides of the boat, you swung one leg over the side and toppled onto the ground. If a boat could laugh, it’d be howling right about now.

“…right. Ok. Yeah. Thank you.” You wheezed, giving the dog-boat a slightly manic smile.

“So that was fun and all, but where am I now?! Why’d you bring me to a…” You squinted at the trash littering the ground and your flashlight lit up a path that disappeared behind larger piles of junk.

“…to a Dump? What?” There was no answer. Of course there was no answer, it was a boat for Pete’s sake. Instead, the head turned away to stare sightlessly at the river in front of it, as if it were nothing more than a regular boat. You sighed, running a hand through your hair, wincing when you accidentally hit a sore spot. You didn’t like this one bit, and you had nobody but yourself to blame for it. But there was nothing else you could do but go along with the status quo. You were good at that.

Swallowing another sigh, you gripped your flashlight tighter and made your way down the thin path. At some point, the trail must’ve been wide, and well taken care of, but it was clear that something had changed. Scattered around or crushing the piles of garbage and junk were pieces of concrete and steel that once belonged to a building. The chunks were everywhere, and you suppressed a shudder.

“What happened here?” You muttered to yourself, skirting around a wall fragment that used to have a window, broken glass scattered and glinting like knifes in the dark.

Then, without warning, your flashlight died, plunging you into darkness.

“W-what?! No!” You frantically turned it on and off, whacking the unresponsive tool against your palm, but it wouldn’t turn on. Fear started to creep up on you again, gripping your heart with a cold, steely grip. You looked around, desperately trying to see something, anything in the unyielding blackness. But there was no magma here, nothing to light the way. There was nothing…

…except for a pale glow just ahead of you.

Tripping and stumbling, you nearly ran to the light. It was small and weak, but it was light, sweet wonderful light! Your foot collided with something long and metallic, and you fell, scraping your knees. Biting your lip against the pain, you raised your head to look at the source of the light just a foot away. It was some kind of jar or container, small wires and cables jutting out of the ends. Pink liquid slowly leaked of out the hole in its glass front, and inside it−

You crawled closer, eyes wide and fear forgotten.

When Monsterkind was freed and made their place beside humanity, an international broadcast was sent out to explain everything; who they were, where they came from, why they were trapped so long ago, and their wish for a future of peace and harmony. It was a declaration of peace, but also a lesson on something once believed to be as fictional as the monsters themselves.

Souls.

There were pictures, there were descriptions, but…

Half submerged in the liquid was a heart, pink and large enough to fit in the palm of your hand. It’s feeble glow pulsed like a heartbeat and you let out a shaky breath, blinking in shock.

Was this…a soul? No, it couldn’t be…could it?

Swallowing hard, you did the only you could in this situation. You stretched out a finger, and lightly touched it.

********************

_Cold. It’s cold. It’s too cold._

_Dark. It’s dark. It’s too dark._

_Where?_

_Lost…lost, dark, cold..._

_Tired. So very…tired._

_Too cold, too dark, too….tired…_

_Lost….los….lost?_

_...help. Help._

_s….scared. Scared._

_It’s dark!_

_Help. Help, please!_

_Don’t want to be lost, don’t want to be here!_

_Help! Help!_

_So tired….tired…_

_Help! HELP!_

**_I D O N ‘ T W A N T T O D I E !_ **

********************

You released the soul only when you noticed that tears were streaming down your face. Choking back a sob, you wrapped your arms around yourself, trying to ride out the aftershock of the emotions that had poured into you. The loneliness, the hopelessness, and the fear had nearly overwhelmed you, the silent cries echoing in your mind.

This was soul. This was once a living being, and they were….here, lost and forgotten in the darkness. But…how were they alive? Monster souls didn’t last after death, and yet here it was! Wiping away the tears, you leaned in, your hands curling around the broken container as you looked closer. The heart was pink, but the parts that weren’t touching the odd liquid were graying out, a corner of the heart nearly white, and _you swore the soul just shuddered_.

They were dying.

Swallowing back another wave of tears, you braced yourself before once again touching the soul.

“It’s ok, I’ve got you. I’m going to get you out of here, ok? I’m going to help you. I swear, I’m not going to let an….anything happen to you, ok? I promise…I promise!”

You pulled off your backpack, digging in it until you found the duct tape you’d thrown in there so long ago. Carefully lifting up the container, you sealed up the hole as best as you could, wrapping the tape around it several times until you were sure the leak had stopped. You could barely see the light of the soul, but it was there, it was still there.

Cradling the container in your arms, you stood up and wrapped the soul in your sweater before carefully tucking it into your backpack. Then, you stooped down to grab the flashlight at your feet. For a long moment, you glared at it, willing it to work as you flicked the switch. The flashlight blazed with light and you heaved a quick sigh of relief. Running back to the riverbank, you saw that the boat was still there, waiting for you.

The dog head was gone.

But you didn’t care about it as you climbed into the boat and let it carry you downstream. You didn’t care about the climb that had you sliding down time after time before you managed to crawl up into the kitchen set. You didn’t care about the sweat dripping off your skin as you made your way past the rivers of magma. You didn’t care about the fire in your arms as you hauled yourself back up the elevator shaft, muscles shaking and breath short when you finally reached the top. You didn’t care about The Core as you followed the footsteps you’d left in the dust, a trail of breadcrumbs leading you through the twisting corridors. You didn’t even care about the main reactor nor it’s deadly glow.

The only thing you did care about, the only thing that mattered to you, was the lost soul that you were determined to save.

********************

It was a shock to see a night sky when you eventually left the underground. The stars that you knew well and loved twinkled high above you, and a cold breeze made you shiver. As much as you wanted to, you couldn't dwell on the thought of lost time. You needed to get back, quickly.

You’d barely shuffled through the hole in the fence when you heard a howl split the mountain air. Frowning, you hurried back to the trail. Were there wolves on Mt. Ebott? You couldn’t remember if there were or not but−

There was the smattering of paws before you were bowled over by something white, fluffy, and enormous. A slimy tongue licked your face several dozen times, the dog it belonged to whining happily before tilting it’s head back to let out another howl.

“Over here, we got something!” A stern voice shouted and before you knew it, you were suddenly surrounded by police officers with flashlights.

“Are you ______ _______?” One of the officers asked in a serious tone. When you nodded, everyone seemed to relax.

“Milowski to Dispatch, we found ______. She’s sustained a head injury and multiple smaller wounds, requesting paramedics.” One officer reported into the radio on his lapel as another officer, with some difficulty, managed to pull the large white dog off of you and lift you to your feet.

“We received a missing person’s report for you about 4 hours ago Miss.” A female officer explained. “A Professor at the college was pretty worried about you.”

“…what?”

Just how long had you been down there?!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FINALLY!  
> Now we can really get this Gravy Train a'rolling!  
> The Walmart keychain is finally relevant to the plot!  
> And it's an unwritten rule to have a DETERMINATION joke thrown in at some point when writing an Undertale fic.

**Author's Note:**

> btw the plot was inspired by a 2 dollar heart keychain I found at Walmart.  
> Thank you Walmart.


End file.
